Counter Intelligence: Mom's Love Not Unconditional

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See why moms favor pretty kids and take a look at our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.

It turns out a mother's love may not be unconditional. The prettier babies are when they are born, the more their mothers love them, new research suggests. The explanation is evolution. Parents devote resources to raising kids, but it appears they are hard-wired to give the most energy to the offspring with the highest genetic payoff: Healthy, good-looking kids.

A British student with a prosthetic arm is suing Abercrombie & Fitch for discrimination. The clothing retailer allegedly relegated her to backroom-duty because the link between her prosthesis and her arm was showing. The company said she was in violation of their "look policy" which states that workers have a "natural, classic American style."

Apollo astronaut-turned-painter Alan Bean walked on the moon nearly 40 years ago and has been trying to recapture the experience through art ever since. Bean spent 18 years as an astronaut, logged 1,671 hours in space and spent 45 minutes on the moon's surface and has been transfixed ever since. He decided to take up painting space full time.

The parents of the woman shot dead during a protest in Iran have been evicted from their Tehran home and have been banned from mourning, according to a report. The family of Neda Soltan was reportedly kicked out of their fourth-floor apartment and were forced to move after police refused to return her body to loved ones and buried her without letting them know.